MA health plan - 175 $ month, but $2000 by year of deductibles

[Mass]

If you want to know why single payer is the only option that will work, MA is a good example.

The new law forces everybody to have an health insurance. People earning more than 300 percent of the federal poverty line (about $30,630 for a single person) will have to buy their own insurance with a private insurance, and this is where the problem lies.

The administration has been fighting to get low price insurance. Apparently, he succeeded to get $ 175.00 monthly premium. However, as long as we deal with private insurance companies, there is no free lunch. This plan will have high deductibles (up to a $2000,00/person), which will strike people who are by definition not so rich already. This means that, for a couple, they will have to pay up to $4,000 dollars of their own pockets. Who thinks that these people will go see the doctor each time they really need it.

And this is only after long negotiations between the insurance companies and the administration. This is why the only solution to really bring an adequate level of healthcare in this country is to forgo the private insurance and to impose public insurance.

More healthy choices

March 6, 2007

PREMIUMS UNDER the new Massachusetts health insurance law are not going to be as high as feared. That's the good news, announced by Governor Deval Patrick over the weekend. The bad news is that lower-cost policies will have high out-of-pocket expenses. The most important task now is to get the insurance plans in place and create a mechanism that encourages employers to sign people up.

The board of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority will approve details of plans Thursday. Starting July 1, they will cover people making 300 percent or more of the federal poverty line (about $30,630 for a single person) who do not have health insurance. The connector has already approved subsidized plans for people making less than 300 percent of poverty, and as of March 1 enrolled 51,000 residents -- impressive since the law was approved in April.

The lowest premium will be offered by Neighborhood Health Plan, based in Boston -- $175 a month. It's a far cry from the $380 figure tossed out a few weeks ago. The cheaper plans, however, may include deductibles of as much as $2000 a year. This sounds prohibitive. But the connector made sure that three wellness visits a year would be exempt from the deductible. People will be able to see a doctor for routine care for only a modest copayment. Everyone who signs up for Commonwealth Choice will be encouraged to get involved in the healthcare system right away.

...

Those who want lower deductibles will have to pay more, depending on their age, perhaps a much as $505 a month. But these premiums will be paid in pretax dollars, exempt from Social Security and state and federal income taxes. That's a savings of nearly 40 percent for a single person making $50,000 a year. Employers will need to set up special accounts to put this pre-tax system into effect. The connector is working on rules to facilitate this process.

...

[area51]

1. k&r

Single-payer, universal healthcare (the only true pro-life position) is the way to go; it's the only way to save lives in the U.S.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. I agree. For-profit health insurance is parasitic.

As long as there is no real legislation to rein in the insurance companies, any plan to enter into a public/private partnership is going to be crap.

Some things that need to be legislated for something like this to even begin to work:

1) Health insurance must be unlinked from employers.

2) Pre-existing clauses MUST be eliminated. (They are pretty much bullshit anyway)

3) Insurances will not be allowed to dump people into high risk insurance, crap coverage insurance pools.

4) Premiums increases must face a regulatory board that takes real costs into account.

5) Insurance companies will not be allowed to cherry pick.

6) Insurance companies will be required to enter into binding arbitration of an independent review commission for any denial of coverage for a specific test or procedure.

7) Corporations that operate in the US will no longer be allowed to claim their headquarters is located at a mailbox in Barbados to avoid paying corporate taxes (such as that one mile stretch in Barbados that has somehow managed to use space so efficiently that 16000 corporate headquarters are located there).

8 ) Open-enrollment must be allowed once a year.


Personally, I just lean toward getting private insurance companies out of our health care. They take a share of our health care dollar to enrich themselves and the costs gets passed along to the common people.

[Horse with no Name]

5. I think the standards should be changed

That if the company doesn't do 85% of ALL of it's business in the US, it doesn't qualify for tax breaks.
There are ways to bring these companies back. It's time to get tough about it.

[liberal hypnotist]

7. Agree! Private insurance companies and health do not equate.

Our politicians are too deep into the pockets of insurance lobby's

[ThomCat]

3. Of course. The insurance industry still had no incentive

to ever pay for anything. Their profit comes from taking in money without ever paying it out. As long as the industry stays for-profit, there are going to be huge numbers of people who can't afford to use their insurance. It's designed that way.
x(

[radfringe]

4. question: what happens if you don't buy insurance?

for whatever reason.. don't want it, don't like being forced to buy it, or regardless of state income guideline you just can't afford it

what happens? fined? and then refuse to pay the fine and get thrown in jail where you get FREE medical?

[RayOfHope]

6. My kids and I all have separate policies, each with at least a $1500 deduct.

The kids are $1500, mine is $3000. The deducts kicked our asses last year. We each have a separate policy b/c its cheaper that way. (We don't live in Mass.)

I'm sure $175/mo is the base premium. Start adding prescription coverage and maternity benefits, and you've added $200/mo. Throw in some pre-existing conditions, and that $175/mo is a fucking joke.